Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Tales of an Unpublished Author: What Not to Expect . . .

Less than a month ago I was waist deep in muck. Not the kind
that sticks to your boots when you’re deep in the North Woods.

This kind of muck was more figurative. I’d been given a
short timeline to complete edits on a story. Well, not really edits but a
complete re-write. I turned it in only to be welcomed by more rewrites a few
days later.

This went on for what seemed like a week with each
interaction between the editor and myself coming closer and closer. By the time
it was over, my head was spinning and I wasn’t even sure if the story I’d
written was the one I’d intended from the start.

I was waist-deep in the muck of publishing chaos.

I asked a friend if every experience was like this and she said, “No.”
I believed her but I also wondered if as a newbie writer things just might be different or this was a sign of things to come.

A manager at the printer tried to explain to me there were
too many variables to expect everything to be error-free.

I didn’t believe him then. But, boy, do I believe him now.
Nothing is standard anymore. And no one really knows what for sure will happen
next. Like the rewrites of the past month, I expect becoming an author is going
to be a chaotic mess for awhile.

So, if you’re moving along the same path as me, don’t expect
–

Perfection,

Smooth Sailing,

or

Easy Answers.

The best way to manage is to go with the flow as best as you
can. Wade through the muck one step at a time and make the decisions that work
best for you.

Abbi J

Abbi is still on Twitter -- @abbi_wilder -- because she couldn't give it up for 2013. She will be blogging from her new website: www.abbiwilder.com as soon as she can find a way to control the chaos.